The Buzz: Can anyone stop Gazza?

Gary Ablett with this 2013 Brownlow Medal. Picture: Michael Klein Source: HeraldSun

SEVEN weeks into the AFL season it seems only a Geelong flyer can stop Gary Ablett from storming to a third Brownlow Medal.

Ablett potentially has as many as five best-afield performances and even on conservative estimates he has 13 votes after just seven votes at the same time last year.

Steve Johnson is a glorious mix of brilliance and brain-fades but has to be a contender, while Joel Selwood is second in the AFL Coaches Award and Herald Sun Player of the Year tally.

Yet the Gold Coast captain seems on an inevitable march towards a lofty pedestal occupied only by triple winners Bobby Skilton, Dick Reynolds, Hayden Bunton and Ian Stewart.

All while still just 29 and so confident of his future he is already discussing a contract for 2016 and beyond.

"Ablett as matchwinner" is a headline so repetitive it can be monotonous so it is easy to forget he might already have four or five Brownlows, a record that would stand for all time.

The player who won the 2009 Brownlow with 30 votes and last year's version after another peerless season has plenty of hardluck tales.

In 2007 when Jimmy Bartel was a very worthy winner Ablett won the AFL MVP, the Coaches Association award, both major newspaper awards and beat Bartel in the Geelong b-and-f by a stunning 178 votes.

In 2008 he was the raging $2.20 favourite beaten by $15 pop Adam Cooney and in 2010 he amassed 756 touches and 44 goals — both a career high — yet was four votes shy of victor Chris Judd.

Ablett has four rolled-gold best-on performances so far and two games in which he is likely to miss out.

The question mark is Sunday's performance in which he won the game for the Suns but Tom Lynch won the maximum coaches votes and Dion Prestia also had claims.

So potentially 15 votes and maybe 13, compared to just seven votes in as many rounds last year before storming home.

This rich vein of form keeps throwing up golden seasons, so much so that you can't helping thinking he is the equal of Leigh Matthews.

With two premierships, seven All-Australian awards, five best-and-fairest awards, three club goalkicking awards and five MVP awards his record is just about perfect.

Leigh Matthews won eight best-and-fairests but no Brownlows.

But then just as you want to elevate Ablett, you look at Matthews' goal tally again.

While Ablett will one day become the game's best small forward, he averages only 1.3 goals a game, and Barney was off the charts with his 915 career-goals.

And as much as Lethal finished his career as a small forward, Matthews kicked 91 goals at age 25.

Ablett has 348 goals from 260 games, at which stage Matthews already had 726 goals at nearly double the average before going on to play another 62 career games.

Both legends, both worthy of merit.

And just as those who watched Matthews up close were blessed to witness his greatness, so too should we wonder at Ablett.

The debate over ugly football is totally worthy, but it shouldn't divert us from our enjoyment of Ablett as one of the greats of the game.

Ablett looks downfield for an option. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

ABLETT'S VOTE CHANCES

R1: HOT. Forty-one disposals and two goals in win against Richmond. Dion Prestia (32) also handy. Likely three votes.

R2: Just 24 touches in loss to Fremantle. Sandilands and Mundy dominant.

R3: HOT. Thirty-eight touches, three goals and 10 tackles against Lions. Surely gets three.

R4:? Thirty-five disposals and a goal in big loss to Hawthorn. Probably misses out.

R5: HOT. Tallies 32 disposals and two goals in an absorbing battle with Demon Nathan Jones. No other standout Sun. Likely three votes.

R6: HOT. Rated best-afield after another 30 disposals and two goals against the Giants. Teammate Tom Lynch kicked five goals.

R7: HOT. Won the game against North Melbourne with four goals after a quiet first half. But Prestia huge too.

LIKELY OUTCOME: Probably has four best-afield performances and fights with Prestia and Tom Lynch for the three against North Melbourne.